Ebbets Field
by JaycenMackenzie
Summary: The game. It's from May, 1941. I know, 'cause I was there.


**May 25, 1941**

Bucky was late picking him up.

They were supposed to head downtown that morning, but Bucky arrived at Steve's apartment close to noon. Steve had awaken at the crack of dawn, visiting his neighbour's flat as she was away on vacation – somewhere in the Caribbean, she had said. After bringing in the newspaper, watering the plants, and feeding the fish, he went on his weekly run to the convenience store down the street.

After a lengthy conversation with Tom, the owner of the store, he picked up his monthly bag of medicine from the pharmacy. With a few bags of groceries and pills, Steve was forced to take the elevator to his fifth-story apartment. Even then, he had difficulty getting into his flat – his other neighbour, an elderly woman, had to help him in.

By then it was only nine o'clock. He had another hour before Bucky was supposed to pick him up. With time to kill, he decided he would write.

He had a pen pal from Britain who'd been his pen pal since high school. Just last month Peter, his pen pal, had sent him a letter telling him that he was joining the navy. He was situated on the HMS Hood, he had said. Steve had a feeling that Peter wouldn't receive his letter.

That morning Steve read that the HMS Hood was sunk. World War Two was raging on overseas, yet America isolated from it.

Suddenly, there was a loud – unnecessarily loud – knock at his door.

"Rogers, open up."

"It's unlocked," he replied, hurriedly finishing the letter. It was for his own benefit; he didn't think he was going to send it in the end.

Bucky strutted into the apartment, dressed in a beige suit and tie. He tossed a bottle of coke to Steve, who nearly caught it. Instead, the bottle bounced onto the couch next to Steve, stopping before it hit the hardwood floor.

Steve folded the letter and sealed it in an envelope, placing it in his drawer. He glanced at his watch: eleven-forty-five. By now they should have been in town with whomever else Bucky was planning to pick up.

"_The Hobbit_?" Bucky gestured to the book, which was lying on the coffee table, with his bottle. "My little cousin's reading that. She loves Bilbo, probably because he reminds her of that kid she's crushing on." He sat at the edge of the armchair and took a swig of his coke. "Speaking about crushes, how was that girl you met last week?"

Shrugging, Steve slid his shoes and jacket on. "She didn't ring me and I don't have her number. Assumed she didn't want to go to that Italian place I suggested."

"Damn it, Steve. Don't suggest a place before you actually call her. What if she's allergic to spaghetti?"

With a snort, Steve swung the front door open. "You coming, or will I have to drive the Pontiac?" The door opened too wide and knocked over his coat stand, which caused a chain reaction of falling objects. By the time everything was still again, the coke bottle on the sofa was on the ground in pieces. Coke was seeping into the rug by the couch.

Steve swore under his breath, hurrying back to grab a mop. Bucky sighed, picking up the bigger pieces of glass with his bare hands.

"Nice going, kid."

oOo

They were supposed to have picked up the girls at eleven. When they arrived at the coffee shop the girls weren't there. Bucky didn't look too disappointed as there was a gaggle of nicely dressed young women just outside the shop. He parked the Pontiac at the side of the road and hopped out, leaving Steve to clamber out of the passenger side.

Bucky sauntered up to the girls, a charming smile on his face. Steve trailed behind, a little intimidated by the four girls. They were pretty, and looked no older than Steve himself. As usual, they were all taller than him.

As Steve arrived at the group, Bucky was already in the process of convincing the girls to go out with them.

"You girls fancy watching the game at Ebbets Field?"

That was a long shot; these girls looked like the type to not be interested in baseball.

Surprisingly, most of them nodded enthusiastically. But one girl looked somewhat reluctant, only giving a small smile as her friends looked excitedly to her. Steve decided he had a better chance with her than the rest.

He had to tap her on the shoulder before she noticed him. "Hi, I'm Steve."

She gave him a little grin that he was used to receiving from women. "I'm Annabelle. Are you friends with Bucky?"

"Yeah, I've known him for a while."

She shrugged. "Well, I already have a boyfriend, but Bucky seems like a real nice guy." By now she lost interest in the conversation. She began twirling her hat in her hands, looking around the street.

Sliding closer to Bucky, who had his arms around a small blonde and curvy redhead, Steve nudged him.

"Hey, girls," Bucky called out, slinging Steve under his arm as well. He ended up rubbing shoulders with the redhead. "This is my old friend, Steve. Take a gander, ladies. Yeah, he may be tiny but he's got a _huge_… heart. And he's incredibly kind, so long as you don't step on him. Then he gets real angry."

oOo

The game was just beginning, the starting pitch being thrown as they took their seats. Steve was sat between Bucky and a tall brunette, Evelyn, who was eyeing Bucky to no end. Once or twice Steve tried to tear her focus away, but it was no use; he wasn't tall enough.

Bucky got a bag of peanuts for him, but soon, with the sun bearing down on them, he became incredibly thirsty. He tried to wave the vendor for a drink, but just then, the Dodgers got a run and the crowds rose. Steve was swallowed in the stands, unable to see the vendor boy anymore.

"Hey, Bucky." The redhead, Mary, leaned over her friend to put a hand on his knee. Her cleavage was peeking out from her dress. "Could we go dancing afterward?"

"Sure thing, sugar." He flashed her a smile, making her cheeks go red.

Evelyn frowned slightly, turning to Steve. He started slightly, her intense green eyes focusing on him.

"So, Sam, how old are you?"

"It's Steve, actually." He shifted a little, trying to make himself look taller. "And I'm 21."

She looked surprised. "Oh, so where do you go to school?"

"I'm an NYU Institute of Fine Arts student."

The conversation ended then; Apparently, Evelyn wasn't too fond of art. After that, Steve turned his attention back to the game, trying to ignore his growing thirst. By the time the game ended, Steve was so parched he nearly ran to the concession stand to buy a Dr Pepper.

Bucky had two girls on each arm, the other one trailing closely beside; Annabelle had left partway through the game to meet her boyfriend. Steve was behind them, gripping his drink in one hand and his coat in the other. He was sure his shirt was soaked through with sweat, but he knew no one could see him anyway.

By the time they reached the Pontiac in the car park, the girls were complaining about being hungry. Steve had offered them snacks during the game but they couldn't hear him.

And so, they dropped by a diner to pick up a snack. There wasn't enough room at the booth, so Steve offered to sit on the barstools. Sitting by himself, he overheard Bucky tell the girls a story of the time Steve and him had taken a job at a factory. It wasn't that funny, but the girls were in hysterics by the end of it anyway.

Then, the girls excused themselves to go the washrooms. Steve took a seat across from Bucky at the booth, a sardonic smile on his face.

"They're not coming back, Bucky," he said, putting a two-dollar bill on the table.

Bucky sighed, paying the rest and put a hand on Steve's shoulder. "Not the best date, huh?"

"Date?" Steve smirked. "I was the fifth-wheel. It wasn't much of a date for me."

They left the diner, hopping back into Bucky's car. Bucky turned onto the main road, driving aimlessly until Steve suggested going to Manhattan. There was a considerable amount of traffic, so they were stuck on the Brooklyn Bridge for a while.

"You never told me how you got this car," Steve said finally, after a half-hour of silence. "Just kept saying 'shut up unless you want to be kicked out'."

"Oh, right." Bucky chuckled. "I'm borrowing it from my cousin. Has his own business he does. Rich compared to the rest of us." Then, he licked his lips, like he did when he was about to say something important. "Hey, Steve. Do you know what Virginia's like?"

Steve frowned. "Never been. Why?"

"Well," Bucky started after a moment of hesitation. "Well, I'm going there. Camp Lehigh, to be specific."

"What?"

"I've joined the military, Steve."

The car turned onto Centre Street, speeding up as the traffic lessened. They were silent until they reached the Stork Club.

"Let's have fun, Steve." Bucky clapped him on the shoulder, a reassuring smile on his face. "We'll have loads of fun tonight and pretend I didn't ruin it. Okay?"

Steve was more determined than ever now. His resolve no unwavering. He was going to join the army, no matter how hard it'll be.

At last, he replied, grinning slightly. "Okay. We'll have a blast."

oOo

**Present Day**

Steve tried to find it. But to his disappointment, it was gone, just as Stark had said. Ebbets Field was gone. He'd already tried to find the Stork Club, but that was gone as well. Even Camp Lehigh was completely decimated. Peggy was getting old, and soon she would be gone too; Her memory was already patchy. Bucky was missing. All his Howling Commandos dead.

Everything that held memories – whether they were good or not – was gone. Everyone he knew won't exist in a matter of months or years, and he would be left to cope in the new world alone.

.

**A/N:** "End of the Line" by Henry Jackman from the 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier'. Go listen to it.


End file.
